TGON Bakes: Adventure Time Strawberry Royal Tart

In the Adventure Time episode “The Other Tarts” (S2, EP9) Princess Bubblegum entrusts Finn and Jake with the job of toting her precious, perfect royal tarts to the sacred, annual back-rubbing ceremony located in the Bad Lands. Everything goes completely wrong, but Princess Bubblegum gets her tarts in the end.

Important to tell is that the tart recipe below does not contain paralysing potion. And remember, if the (ex) Tart Toter arrives while you’re eating this, stay perfectly still until he decides to move on!

How to bake:

Tart shell
1. Heat the oven to 176° C or 350°F and place a rack in the middle.
2. Combine the butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir until evenly incorporated. Add the measured flour and stir until just combined and a soft dough forms.
3. Sprinkle the dough over the bottom of a 23 cm/9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup or your fingers, evenly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan (flour the cup occasionally to prevent sticking).
4. Cover the tart shell with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Once chilled, prick it all over with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack before filling and removing from the pan.

Cool whip
1. Pour the water into a small saucepan.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
3. Place the pan over medium-low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves.
4. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
5. Place one tablespoon of the whipping cream and the cream of tartar in a small ziptop bag.
6. Seal the bag and shake it until cream of tartar has dissolved completely and there are no lumps.
7. If there are lumps, use your fingers to work them out.
8. Pour the cream of tartar mixture into a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer if using a stand mixer) along with the rest of the whipping cream and the sugar.
9. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
10. Once cream mixture begins to slightly thicken, slowly pour in the gelatin-water while continually mixing. Add the vanilla.
11. Continue to mix until the cream is thick and smooth.

Strawberry glaze
1. Mash the Strawberries and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch.
3. Stir in the water and the mashed berries.
4. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
5. Stir in food coloring if desired.
6. Cook the mixture and stir for about 3 minutes until it is thick.
7. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl, cool the mixture for about 10-15 minutes
8. If strawberries are not smooth, put them through a sieve.

Filling the tart
1. In a large bowl mix the cream cheese and lemon juice until completely creamy.
2. Add in the sifted powdered sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth.
3. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is all combined.
4. Spoon about half of the cream cheese mixture into the completely cooled, pre-baked tart crust and smooth out evenly (it’s recommended to brush heated and strained apricot jam on the crust in order to seal it before adding the filling).
5. Reserve several of the smaller strawberries for decoration later. Cut off the tops of the rest of the strawberries and then slice the strawberries up.
6. Lay the slices on top of the cream mixture, in a single layer, covering the cream completely.
7. Next, spread a thin layer of strawberry glaze on top of the strawberry slices (a silicone food brush works well for this).
8. Spoon on the rest of the cream cheese mixture, smoothing it out carefully so as not to disturb too much the glaze and strawberries below.
9. Put the tart in the freezer for about 10 – 15 mins. to solidify it somewhat before the next step.
10. Remove from freezer and spread on enough strawberry glaze (glaze only!) to get a nice, deep & bright red color, making sure to spread up to the edges of the crust.
11. Cut a small-medium strawberry in half length-wise and place it on top of the tart, in the center and then brush it with a little bit of glaze to make it shiny.
12. Chill the completed tart in the fridge for an hour or more (great if left overnight).
13. When serving individual slices, place duplicate strawberry decorations on each piece, leaves facing crust-ward.